We bring people together to meet, socialize and exchange ideas. And we also have the goal of educating future leaders of atheism by bringing in student representatives from college campuses and we educate the public at large in an attempt to dispel myths about atheists. It is extremely difficult in the United States and in some parts of the world to dismiss the notion of believing in a supernatural god.

Some people would say that thesecular, if not atheist, mindset, is already too dominant in American culture. How do you respond?

I don’t see that. From the perspective of the Christian community, it looks like sure, it looks like we’re a dominant force. But when you look around the world at the overtly religious countries and the problems they have, it’s obvious that secularism should be dominant. We’re looking at world problems such as fundamentalists who think nothing of flying airplanes into buildings.

Some prominent conservatives — like Leo Strauss and Ayn Rand — have been atheists. So why do so many people associate atheism with liberalism?

It is a liberal mindset. We have conservative as well as liberal secularists. But the entire philosophy is a live-and-let-live mindset.

Notable Quotes

"Compliments are just one way to give a person positive reenforcement. Another way is to simply let them know that you care about them. Take the time to keep in touch with your atheist friends. Call them periodically. Write them a note once in a while; send them a joke on a postcard. There are many inexpensive and quick ways to keep in touch and express your friendship."

Margaret Videos

This website is a compilation of works involving Margaret Downey. It is being created following the Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Material as well as other Fair Use content. It is being hosted and created by atheist activists.